The Bard's Tales: The Blessed Sun
by BuggyQ
Summary: A ceremonial visit to an ally leads to an unfortunate series of events for Richard, Kahlan, and Zedd.
1. Chapter 1

The Bard's Tales: The Blessed Sun

Chapter 1 (wherein plot is explicated, after which the fun starts)

Author's Note: Warning to all who come here expecting sturm und drang, angst or any other Germanic hyperbole. This is the fanfic equivalent of cotton candy. I'm a fan of the classic witty romantic comedies (Charade, His Girl Friday, It Happened One Night, etc.) I was also influenced heavily by Mirror, which I thought was brilliantly done. Finally, I think Kahlan deserves a chance to do girly stuff for a change (which anybody who knows me will be amazed by—yes, I like girly stuff now and then). So you put all that together, toss it in the Cuisinart that is my brain, and voila, out comes this. A frothy, gooey mess. Takes place in the aftermath of the events I made up for Promethean Heat. Boy, do they need some light fun after that…and so do I.

Summary: A ceremonial visit to an ally leads to an unfortunate series of events for Richard, Kahlan, and Zedd.

Disclaimer: They aren't mine, I'm not making any money off this. All characters outside of Zedd, Richard and Kahlan, however, are mine, as are all locations. Any similarity to any actual place in the LotS world is purely accidental, and should be interpreted as a sign of divine approval of this story. So there.

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"So why are we going to wherever it is we're going?" Richard asked as they rode down a sun-dappled path. He'd been out hunting when a messenger caught up with them the day before, and Kahlan had been very close-mouthed about why they were suddenly dropping everything to head for… _Eridor. That's what Kahlan said_, he remembered. They'd packed up and left immediately, and Zedd seemed to be deferring to Kahlan as far as enlightening Richard, which meant he'd gotten no enlightenment so far. In fact, Kahlan wasn't talking much at all. All he knew was that they'd passed through the west gates to the Eastfold earlier that morning (something he learned only by asking one of the guards at the gate, who looked at him like he was an idiot for asking where he was), and now they were halfway across the narrow strip of parkland nestled between the mountains.

"Egbert's Keep," Zedd finally said after glancing over at Kahlan, clearly waiting for her to respond, and continuing when he saw she wasn't going to. "For the new king's coronation. It's tradition for the Mother Confessor to be a part of the ceremony."

Kahlan looked uncomfortable. "Are you sure I have to be there, Zedd?" she asked, and he was pleased that she was at least willing to talk about it in front of Richard now. "Can't they manage without me?"

Zedd looked down his nose at her. "Kahlan, you know this is important. Eridor is a crucial part of the war against Rahl. If he takes Eridor, he'll have a much easier time getting soldiers into the Midlands."

"Of course I know that," Kahlan said irritably. "But nobody's been able to conquer Eridor in a thousand years. Egbert's Keep is impossible to capture."

"And the reason it's impossible to capture is Ferimond's Bane," Zedd said imperturbably. "And Ferimond's Bane only works if there's a sitting king. A sitting king who has been crowned using the traditional ritual. A ritual that requires the presence of the Mother Confessor," he finished, gesturing with a flourish at the Confessor riding next to him.

Kahlan sighed, knowing it was pointless to continue the argument.

"Ferimond's Bane?" Richard was asking.

"A very powerful protective spell, one that destroyed one of Rahl's distant ancestors, Ferimond of D'Hara," Zedd said, relishing the opportunity to discuss history and magic. "One of my distant ancestors, Zephath Zorander, cast the spell when Ferimond and his army were laying siege to Egbert's Keep." He looked pointedly at Kahlan, "Just as the D'Harans were about to break through the castle gates."

Kahlan glared at Zedd. "Which is exactly why I don't think this is necessary. Rahl knows what happened to Ferimond--he isn't stupid enough to attack Eridor."

"Unless he finds out that Ferimond's Bane isn't in effect anymore," Zedd said. "Until the new king is crowned, and the ceremony to transfer the power of the Bane is complete, the Keep is vulnerable. Which is precisely why they've kept this quiet for the past month."

"What happened to the old king?" Richard asked.

"He was killed, along with a dozen of his men and the Lord Chamberlain, in a rockslide while they were out hunting several weeks ago," Zedd said sadly. "A tragedy. King Mardon was a good king, and he knew how to treat his guests well. So now there's to be a royal wedding, since King Mardon left only a daughter to succeed him, followed by the crowning of the new king."

"Your Zephath was a chauvinist," Kahlan said. "As if power should only pass from father to son. Nowhere else in the Midlands is that archaic."

"All the more reason for the Mother Confessor to be in attendance," Zedd said pointedly. "A feminine presence to temper the male dominance."

Richard stifled a chuckle as Kahlan scowled at Zedd. _Score one for Zedd_, Richard thought. "So," he said, stepping in to defuse the tension, "a wedding and a coronation. I don't see what's so bad about being part of all this. It sounds like fun to me. Hot food, music, dancing, a few days of sleeping in a real bed. What's not to like?"

"Standing for hours wearing uncomfortable shoes, an uncomfortable dress, all while Rahl's minions are running roughshod over the Midlands," Kahlan said. "We have important things to do, and instead we're wasting time babysitting a king who's in the safest spot in the world."

"Kahlan, we've been going non-stop for weeks. I know I could use a break," Richard said, wondering if there was some other reason she was out of sorts. "Why not try to enjoy it?"

_Enjoy it_, Kahlan thought. _Right_. She sighed, inwardly this time_. Give it up, Kahlan_, she told herself. _You have to be there, and there's no getting out of it. Maybe he'll have forgotten. It's been nine years, after all._

_You__ haven't forgotten_, said the more annoying voice in her head. She spurred her horse into a canter, trying hard to ignore that voice.

"What's going on?" Richard asked Zedd, watching her go.

Zedd shook his head. "I have no idea," he said. "But I have a feeling we'll find out soon. There's the castle." He pointed at the mountains rising ahead of them, and Richard could make out the outline of battlements in a cleft between two of the steepest peaks.

An hour later, they were climbing toward the gates of the keep along a narrow, winding road paved with cobblestones. _I wouldn't want to try to attack this place_, Richard thought, impressed. _And according to Zedd, this is the side they don't worry about_.

Kahlan's sudden interest in arriving quickly had faded as they climbed toward the keep. Now she was lagging a little behind Richard and Zedd, and she looked apprehensive. _Not like there's danger_, Richard realized, glancing back at her. _More the kind of apprehension you get when you're waiting to do something you know you won't like._ He looked up at the keep, which was pretty foreboding. The iron-clad gates were set into walls that were a good 30 feet high, and the gates were at least ten yards wide. _They must weigh a ton_, Richard thought.

But as they approached, there was a sound of trumpets, and the gates opened wide in seconds, as if they were feather-light. They rode through the gates and into a narrow courtyard, bounded on either side by stairways leading up to the walls beside the gates. There was a pair of wide, arching hallways leading off under the side staircases, lit by torchlight, and another staircase in front of them, leading up to another wide door set into an even higher set of walls.

There were four men waiting for them as they dismounted, and three of them took the horses, leading them off down one of the hallways. The last, a burly man with graying hair, bowed. "Welcome to the Keep!" he said heartily. "I am Bredon, Captain of the Guard. My men will take excellent care of your mounts. It's an honor to meet you all. We've been hearing about your exploits for months. You're making life miserable for Darken Rahl, which makes life a lot brighter for the rest of us."

"Don't believe everything you hear," Richard said, embarrassed.

"Son, if even half of what I hear is true--" Bredon broke off as a little man dressed in a vivid blue surcoat that had the odd look of being too big despite its fitting him perfectly, scurried up to Kahlan and bowed deeply.

"Mother Confessor, allow me to welcome you to Egbert's Keep. I am Lord Chamberlain Daffyd. The entire kingdom of Eridor is honored--"

"Kahlan!" a man's voice called from far up the staircase in front of them. A young man with blond hair that looked as though he'd been shaken upside-down by a giant came running down the stairs so fast Richard was certain he'd go head over heels. _That might explain the hair_, he thought. As he got closer, Richard realized he had a hint of a mustache that only served to make him look younger than he did already.

Daffyd looked as though he'd eaten something unpleasant as the young man skidded to a stop in front of Kahlan, out of breath. Richard glanced at Kahlan, and was surprised to see nearly the same expression on her face.

"I'm…so glad…you're here!" the young man said between deep breaths, leaning over with his hands braced on his knees. "How long…has it been?"

"Nine years," Kahlan said as though that hadn't been nearly long enough, then seemed to realize that she needed to be more gracious. She smiled. "It's good to see you again, Flynn. How is your father?"

Flynn grinned. "Almost as glad I'm here as I am to be out from under his thumb again," he said, regaining his breath. He stood straight, ending up several inches taller than Kahlan, and she seemed a bit surprised by it, looking up at his face.

"My dear Mother Confessor," Daffyd tried to break in, but Flynn was having none of it.

"You have to come meet Adeline," Flynn said. "You'll like her. Oh, I'm sorry!" he said, noticing Zedd and Richard for the first time. "You must be the Seeker!" He held out his hand, and Richard clasped his forearm.

"Richard Cypher," he said.

"Flynn Devere," the young man responded, pumping Richard's arm up and down wildly. "Soon to be King Flynn of Eridor." He grinned at Kahlan again. "Bet you never thought you'd see that," he said, winking.

"And this is Zeddicus Z'ul Zorander," Kahlan said, nodding to the wizard.

"A wizard of the First Order!" Flynn said, his eyes wide. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

Daffyd cleared his throat loudly. "My dear Mother Confessor," he said again, "the entire kingdom of Eridor--"

"This way," Flynn said, taking Kahlan's arm as if he'd known her for years. _Which, apparently, he has_, Richard thought. "The keep is amazing. Staircases everywhere. You have to go up to go down, down to go up, and sideways to get anywhere else." He dragged her up the stairs, chattering, as Daffyd looked after them, his face going red.

"My dear Mother Confessor!" he called after her, and scrambled up the steps after them.

Kahlan looked back down at Richard, and he didn't need magic to read that wide-eyed appeal. Richard looked sidelong at Zedd, and they both had to stifle laughter as they started up the stairs together._ No wonder Kahlan wasn't looking forward to this_, Richard thought, amused at the prospect of his stoic Confessor suffering through a week of this. _I'm going to enjoy every minute of it_.


	2. Chapter 2

The Bard's Tales: The Blessed Sun

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All characters except Richard, Kahlan and Zedd are mine. The castle is Escher's.

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Flynn hadn't been joking about the staircases. By the time they got to their rooms, after the fourth flight up, even Richard was winded. Daffyd had given up two flights before, sitting down in a chair in an alcove off the staircase that Richard was certain had been put there for that very purpose.

Flynn, however, didn't even stop talking, though at least he'd stopped to breathe now and then after the third flight. He'd given Kahlan a thorough run-down of what he'd been doing in the nine years since he'd seen her last. _Not just thorough_, Richard thought, _minute-by-minute_.

Richard gathered from the conversation that they had met at Thandor, though he wasn't clear why Flynn had been there. Something about his father wanting him to get a broad education. _I bet it had more to do with wanting somebody else to do the educating_, Richard thought, amused. Apparently, Flynn had been friends with Dennee, who was his age. They had bonded over the recent losses of their mothers.

Richard also came to realize as they climbed that Flynn had had a crush on Kahlan. A big one. One that didn't seem to have abated, judging from his attentiveness.

Once they reached their rooms (a surprisingly open and airy set of two rooms opening off a corner room with large windows), Flynn had gone off to find his fiancée.

After he left the room, Kahlan collapsed onto a window seat, leaning her head back against the cold stone and closing her eyes. "Spirits," she whispered. "I'd forgotten how exhausting that boy can be."

"Boy?" Richard said in mock offense. "He's what—twenty-three?"

"About that," Kahlan said, frowning slightly as she calculated mentally.

"I see," Richard said, waiting for her to make the connection.

Her eyes flew open. "I didn't mean--!" she started, then broke off as she saw Richard's grin. "He was much shorter the last time I saw him. And he's a very young twenty-three," she said with dignity.

"And I'm what?"

"Old beyond your years," Zedd said, making himself comfortable in a large chair piled high with pillows. "But unlikely to get much older if you keep this up."

"Thank you, Zedd," Kahlan said dryly.

There was a knock at the door, and Kahlan looked trapped. The Lord Chamberlain came in when Richard opened the door, and immediately launched into his grand speech. "My dear Mother Confessor..."

Kahlan found herself almost wishing Flynn would come back after ten minutes of Daffyd's effusion of gratitude and honor and thanks.

Richard was vastly amused by this as well. He was getting used to people fawning over the Seeker, disconcerting though it was, but he didn't think Kahlan would ever really be comfortable being the center of attention like that.

Finally, the Lord Chamberlain left with a promise that their things would be brought to the room, and with an invitation to dine with the Queen Mother, the Queen and the King that evening.

As soon as he left, Richard turned back to Kahlan. "So, you and Flynn were…?" he prompted.

Kahlan looked at him warningly. "Friends, Richard. We were friends."

"Ahhh," he said, nodding. "Friends. Of course. Friends." The corners of his mouth twitched.

"Richard…" Kahlan said quietly, her eyes narrowing.

He couldn't hold it in any longer, breaking into a broad grin. "C'mon, Kahlan, you have to admit it's funny. I mean, he's…" Richard put his hands in the air, unable to find words.

"Flynn is one of the kindest young men I've ever met," Kahlan said emphatically. "He helped my sister and me a great deal at a time when we needed all the help we could get."

"And he thinks you walk on water," Richard said.

Kahlan blushed and looked down at the floor. "It's not funny," she said. "He's getting married! What will his wife-to-be think if he's making googly eyes at me over dinner?"

"You'll just have to let him down easy, Kahlan," Richard said, still unable to suppress his smile.

"You think I haven't tried?" Kahlan exploded. "I must have told him a dozen times that I felt nothing for him, that I couldn't be with him. I even got one of the Sisters of Light to talk to him, but he's just so…so…persistent!"

"Not unlike someone else in this room," Zedd said from the depths of the chair.

Richard looked sourly at the wizard. He looked back at Kahlan and smiled crookedly at her. "Besides," he said, "who wouldn't be persistent when the prize is you?"

And all at once, the irritation Kahlan had been feeling melted away. _Oh, you __are__ good_, she thought, trying not to let Richard off the hook and failing utterly. A few moments later, Zedd cleared his throat and Kahlan jumped, looking over at him.

"Are you two going to stand there staring at each other forever?" he said gruffly, but he was smiling.

"Do you have a problem with that, Zedd?" Richard said, not taking his eyes off Kahlan. "I can think of worse ways to spend eternity."

"Stop it, Richard," Kahlan said, embarrassed by his attention, but her voice didn't hold much conviction.

There was another knock at the door, and Flynn burst in, dragging a petite young woman behind him. "Kahlan!" Flynn said, "I found her! This is Adeline."

Adeline was smiling indulgently at him, then looked up at them and nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't meet you when you arrived," she said in a pleasant alto voice. Her hair was a deep auburn, and there was a sparkle in her brown eyes that suggested a keen intelligence. "The preparations for the wedding and the coronation are incredibly time-consuming. When you got here, I was being told how important the choice of napkin rings is for a state dinner."

"Napkin rings?" Richard said, unable to tell if she was serious.

Adeline nodded. "'The rulers of Eridor have a long history of attending to the fine points of protocol. No matter is too small for the Queen to be involved,'" she said, clearly quoting someone. Kahlan suspected she knew who. "I'm eternally grateful you gave me an excuse to put that momentous decision off a bit longer," Adeline continued, and she stepped forward and shook Kahlan's hand. "It's an honor to meet you, Mother Confessor."

"Call me Kahlan," she said, returning Adeline's smile. "And I'm honored to be a part of the ceremony." She looked fondly at Flynn. "I'm sure you two will be very happy together. You're a lucky girl," she added.

"Believe me, I know," Adeline said, and it was clear to Kahlan that the young queen was very much in love with her old friend, who was blushing and ducking his head. _I'm going to have to make sure he knows my feelings_, Kahlan thought, dreading that conversation, and Adeline's next words reinforced that feeling. "Flynn has told me so much about you, I feel I know you already. Your being here is far more important to both of us than simply filling a role in a ceremony."

"Thank you," Kahlan said, avoiding Flynn's eyes, and as a result, failing to notice that he wasn't looking at her--he was looking at Adeline.

"It's an honor to meet the Seeker, as well," Adeline said, turning to Richard. "The Midlands owe you a great debt."

Richard took her hand. "I haven't done much yet," he said, surprised to find he was blushing almost as much as Flynn had.

Adeline looked steadily at him. "Just your existence has helped, Seeker. And you've done more than you realize. Look out that window," she said. "That's D'Hara. We've lived under the threat of Darken Rahl for years. We may be protected from his immediate attack, but each day he took over more of the Midlands was a day we knew our safety was being whittled away. You've changed that, and for that I am very grateful." She saw her words were embarrassing Richard, so she turned to Zedd next. "My father spoke very highly of the great wizard Zeddicus Z'ul Zorander. I wish he'd lived long enough to see you again."

"Your father was a great man," Zedd said, bowing deeply. "I was so sorry to hear of his untimely death."

"He would have loved to be here for all this," Adeline said sadly, then smiled at Zedd. "Especially having dinner with you. He always talked about how much you appreciated a good meal." Richard stifled a laugh.

"A great man," Zedd repeated, giving Richard a baleful look. "And very wise. Never neglect the simple pleasures, Seeker."

Adeline smiled, then looked around at them gravely. "I hope my napkin rings will meet your approval." This time, Richard was certain she was joking. _She's going to be fun_, he thought. "So, now that the introductions are over, I'm sure you're all famished." She smiled conspiratorially. "What say we go down to the kitchens and find something to eat?"

Richard glanced over at Kahlan, surprised. After the way the conversation had been headed, he'd been expecting a constant stream of formality.

Kahlan smiled back at him, equally impressed by this young woman. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all_, she thought.

"I told you you'd like her," Flynn said, catching the look.


	3. Chapter 3

The Bard's Tales: The Blessed Sun

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Richard, Kahlan and Zedd aren't mine. Any allegations of Mary Sue-ism are wayyy off base. I'm far cooler in person than Adeline. And more humble, too.

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That night, Adeline and Flynn collected them and took them down to the dining room. There they were introduced to Adeline's step-mother, Queen Isabella, a tiny round dumpling of a woman with very white hair. She was very friendly. Especially to Zedd.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you, your wizardliness," she said, shaking Zedd's hand energetically. "Mardon spoke often of your visits."

"Please, call me Zedd," he said. _Please_. He tried to extricate his hand. "I am sorry for your loss. Mardon was a good man."

"Thank you," she said, and looked away, tears in her eyes, but somehow still managing to hold on to Zedd's hand. "We have all felt his loss deeply. When I think of him, and how lonely I am now..." She sniffled, and Adeline patted her back sympathetically.

The six of them chatted for a while, and after a few minutes, Adeline managed to extricate Kahlan from the corner where Flynn had trapped her, and the two of them got to talk for a bit. Kahlan found herself walking a tightrope--trying to convey to Adeline her utter lack of interest in Flynn without making it seem like she thought Adeline's husband-to-be was a complete idiot, and without being too ridiculously obvious about it. All while making small talk with a queen. It was exhausting. When the food arrived, it was a relief. _At least now I can take a break while chewing_, she thought.

"Won't you sit down?" Adeline told them. They obediently trooped over to the table, where Kahlan ended up being chased around the table--twice--by Flynn, followed by a ridiculous moment of her trying to get Flynn to commit to a chair first, and finally having to give up and just sit down. As a result, Kahlan ended up on one end of the enormous table with Flynn monopolizing her, and Zedd at the other with Queen Isabella monopolizing him. Which left Richard with Adeline.

Luckily for Richard, he found Adeline to be an interesting woman. She had realized quickly that there was no hope of rescuing Kahlan from Flynn once they'd sat down. Somehow Flynn managed to inhale his food at a remarkable rate while still chattering to Kahlan almost non-stop. Meanwhile, on his other side, Richard overheard Queen Isabella talking to Zedd earnestly about the napkin rings. So Adeline turned to keeping Richard entertained. She asked about their adventures, drawing him out without him realizing it, and before he knew it, he found himself talking about some of the more harrowing moments they'd been through.

"She actually walked into a Mord Sith's prison--alone--to rescue me," he said, and suddenly realized that he'd spent the last fifteen minutes extolling the virtues of his Confessor, and if he didn't stop now, he was likely to go on all night. "I'm sorry," he said, glancing over at Kahlan, whose eyes seemed to be glazing over as Flynn launched into another story--something about a horse, he gathered from the gestures. Or maybe it was about gars--it was hard to tell from his flapping arms. "You're probably tired of me talking about Kahlan."

Adeline smiled. "You love her. Of course you're going to talk about her."

"What about you?" Richard asked, noticing the look on her face when she said he loved Kahlan. "I know this wedding is important for the kingdom, but how do you feel?"

Adeline sighed. "I know Eridor's not all that important. Yes, it's a strategic point, but it's such a small kingdom… Well, let's just say I knew my options would be limited, which meant that even though my father had hoped I'd be able to, I wasn't likely to marry for love. Especially when it became necessary to marry so quickly." Her face clouded for a moment as she thought of the reason. Then she smiled wryly at Richard. "I'd prepared myself for the possibility that I would loathe the man I'd marry. But then Flynn arrived and--" She stopped, blushing.

"And you don't loathe him," Richard said, smiling understandingly.

"No…no, I don't," Adeline said, glancing over her shoulder at her future husband, who was regaling Kahlan with yet another story, his hands still waving wildly. "I know he's comical sometimes, but there's just something about him. The first time I saw him, it was like being hit by a thunderbolt, and then, when I got to know him and I saw how kind he is, how caring..." She trailed off, staring at Flynn, then looked over at Richard knowingly. "Well, you understand."

He smiled at her. "I do. Kahlan was terrified to come here, you know," he said. "I think she was afraid I would be jealous, or that you would be. Or both."

"Spirits, how could I be?" Adeline said. "It would be one thing if I didn't like her, but I do. Why would I blame Flynn for admiring her? I mean, even setting aside the fact that she's the Mother Confessor, that she's fighting to save the Midlands at the side of the Seeker, that she's everything every girl in the Midlands aspires to be," Adeline paused, looking over at her, "she's also quite possibly the most beautiful woman in the Midlands. " She sighed. "How could I hope to compete with that?"

"Oh, I don't know," Richard said, looking at Adeline. "I think you measure up quite well."

She raised her eyebrows skeptically. "I thought you were the Seeker of Truth," she said dryly.

"I'm serious. Kahlan is certainly all the things you said, and believe me, I'm delighted she's--" His voice cracked slightly as he looked over at her, the firelight casting a halo around her, and he cleared his throat. "--she's as beautiful as she is. But that's not the only reason I love her. There's such incredible strength about her, but there's also a heart to match it." He looked back at Adeline and smiled. "I see those things in you, too. And if Flynn doesn't realize that yet, he will."

She colored, looking down at her hands. "Well, if I didn't understand before why she adores you, I certainly do now," she said quietly, and then looked up at him. "If the opportunity presents itself, would you make it clear to her that I have no ill will toward her? I'd hate for her to continue worrying when we should all be celebrating."

"Of course," Richard said, though he doubted it would get Kahlan to stop worrying. It was one of the many things in which she excelled. _My over-achieving Confessor_, he thought, watching her reacting with feigned interest to Flynn's story.

A short time later they said their good nights, but as they were leaving, Queen Isabella touched Kahlan's arm. "Could I have a word with you, Mother Confessor?" she asked, and she seemed embarrassed.

"Of course," Kahlan said, wondering what this was about. "I'll come along in a moment," she told Richard. He nodded, and he and Zedd began the long climb up to their rooms.

Queen Isabella watched them head up the stairs for a moment, then turned to Kahlan. "Could you tell me, does the wizard have any hobbies?"

"Excuse me?" Kahlan frowned. "Did you say...hobbies?"

"Yes, you know, things that interest him," she said earnestly. "I tried talking to him about history, but I'm afraid I'm not well read enough to keep up with him in that subject, and any discussion of magic was rather one-sided."

"I see," Kahlan said, not really seeing at all. "Well…I…I think he likes chickens," she said uncertainly.

"Chickens," Isabella said, frowning and looking up the stairs after Zedd. "Chickens…" She looked back at Kahlan and nodded. "Thank you, Mother Confessor," she said, and scurried off down the stairs.

Kahlan watched her go, baffled. _Maybe she's just trying to be a good hostess_, she thought.

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The next morning Kahlan was delighted to discover that her clothes had been freshly laundered, and her white Confessor's gown was actually white again. As she came out into the common room, Zedd was chewing on a piece of toast. He frowned, looking at the bread. "This is burned," he said, surprised.

"Sometimes toast gets burned," Richard said.

"Not at Egbert's Keep," Zedd said. "Mardon was well known for his love of good food."

There was a knock at the door. Kahlan opened it to find Adeline, looking apologetic. "I do hope you'll forgive me," she whispered, coming into the room. She was followed by a parade of women, each bearing every possible article of women's clothing, including quite a few Richard didn't recognize. _Now that's interesting_, he thought. They trooped into Kahlan's room, trailed by a short but formidable-looking woman whose chin seemed to merge magically with her capacious bosom. She looked at Richard with narrowed eyes as she passed.

Kahlan looked wide-eyed after them. "What am I forgiving you for?" she asked Adeline warily.

"I put them off as long as I could, but Gwendolyn is a force of nature," Adeline said. "It's time for your fittings."

"Fittings?" Kahlan said, emphasizing the plural.

Adeline nodded. "There's the gown for the wedding," she said, counting them off on her fingers, "then the one for the ball after the wedding, the one for the breakfast the day of the coronation, the one for the coronation ceremony itself, then the one for the ball after the coronation." Adeline frowned in thought. "Oh, and of course, the gown for the ceremony certifying the consummation of the marriage. I almost forgot that one."

"The...the what?" Kahlan stammered.

Adeline broke into a smile. "Okay, I made that last one up. But I'm afraid the others are real." She patted Kahlan on the shoulder. "You have a full day ahead of you." She leaned close. "If Gwendolyn gets to be too much, have Richard or Zedd come and find me. I'll figure out something to give you a break."

Kahlan looked uneasily at the open door to her room.

"The sooner you go in there, the sooner it'll be over," Zedd said around a mouthful of bread.

Kahlan shot him a lethal glance. Richard stifled the laugh that threatened to sneak out, remembering Kahlan's skill with a dagger.

"Are you going to come in here, Mother Confessor?" Gwendolyn said from the door, her voice gruff. "Or would you rather do this in front of them?"

The back of Kahlan's neck turned bright red as she stalked resolutely into her room. Gwendolyn nodded brusquely at Zedd and Richard and shut the door.

"Don't laugh too soon, gentlemen," Adeline said to Richard and Zedd. "Daffyd's on his way up here with the tailors for your apparel as well." She smiled at their looks of dismay. "Did you really think he would allow the Seeker and his wizard to attend the ceremonies in their travel-stained leathers?"

"Well, no," Richard said. "But…does it have to be Daffyd?"

"Ah, so there is something the Seeker is afraid of. Don't worry," she whispered, "I won't tell Darken Rahl." She winked.


	4. Chapter 4

The Bard's Tales: The Blessed Sun

Chapter 4

Author's note: Okay, I'm warning you, girly stuff ahead. If you gack, don't blame me.

Disclaimer: They aren't mine, I'm not making any money off this. Unless Project Runway likes my descriptions of Kahlan's dresses. That would be _cool_.

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"I'm beginning to think that woman is in league with Darken Rahl, and this is all an elaborate plot to poke me to death in these fittings!" Kahlan collapsed into one of the window seats, relieved beyond measure that Adeline had sent up lunch for them to give her a break.

Richard was just as relieved, though for slightly different reasons. He and Zedd didn't have nearly as many changes of clothing as Kahlan did, but he felt the death-by-non-stop-chatter they faced from Daffyd was at least equivalent to Kahlan's death-by-pinpricks. Zedd had finally escaped an hour earlier, leaving Richard to face Daffyd alone. _Coward_, Richard thought.

"And the shoes!" Kahlan was saying. "A different pair for each dress, even though no one is ever going to see any of them under those skirts. By the time this is over, I'm going to have blisters on top of my blisters."

The door opened with a bang, and Kahlan cringed, anticipating another round of pinpricks. But it wasn't Gwendolyn. It was Zedd. And he was furious.

"You told her I like chickens?" he said to Kahlan, his voice dangerously quiet.

"What?" Richard said, looking confused.

Kahlan's eyes widened. "Well, I--"

"You told her I like chickens?" Zedd said, louder, as he advanced on the Confessor.

She stood up from the window seat, raising her hands placatingly. "Zedd, I thought she was just trying to be--"

"Told who?" Richard said.

"I just spent the last hour listening to Queen Isabella prattle on about Red Caps and Bennington Bantams," he roared. "She was lurking outside our door, just waiting to pounce the moment I poked my head out!" Zedd kept getting closer to Kahlan.

"Are those chickens?" Richard asked.

Kahlan backed away. Zedd followed her. "Do you want to know why the toast was burned this morning?" he said.

Kahlan shook her head timidly.

"Because she kept the cook up all night grilling her about CHICKENS!"

There was another knock, and Kahlan was so grateful for the interruption she wouldn't have minded if it was Gwendolyn. _Death by pinprick is preferable to death by Zedd_, she thought.

But it wasn't Gwendolyn. It was Adeline, and she looked worried.

"What is it?" Richard asked, rising to meet her. "Is something wrong?"

"I just got some unsettling news," she said uneasily. "When my father died, I sent a man to keep watch on the road from D'Hara."

"A prudent measure," Zedd said, trying to calm down, but giving Kahlan a look that said the chickens conversation was not over. "One that has paid off, I presume."

Adeline nodded. "He just sent word that the D'Harans are massing an army in the plain of Avenor. If they set out immediately after he sent the message, they could be here in three days. Maybe sooner."

"So Rahl found out about your father's death, and is trying to attack before Ferimond's Bane is in effect again," Kahlan said.

"I seem to remember a conversation about this very idea," Zedd growled, looking pointedly at Kahlan. "What was it you said, Kahlan? Something about Rahl not being stupid enough to attack Egbert's Keep?"

She ignored him.

"But all we have to do is get Flynn crowned, right?" Richard said, looking back and forth between the two women.

"Of course," Adeline said, clearly trying to reassure herself. "It's just that no D'Haran has even attempted to attack Egbert's Keep in centuries. What if…?" She stopped, then looked to Zedd. "What if the Bane doesn't work?"

_Oooo, that was the wrong question at the wrong time_, Kahlan thought.

"Doesn't work?" Zedd roared. "A spell from the house of Zorander, not work? Zephath was the greatest of all the wizards in my family, and my family has produced the greatest wizards in the history of the Midlands! When we make a spell--"

"--you make it to last," Richard said, intervening to keep Zedd from taking out his chicken fury on Adeline. "I don't think you need to worry, Adeline. Rahl's risking the loss of a lot of soldiers. I say let him come. Even if the Bane doesn't work," he said, ignoring Zedd's scowl, "I think this Keep could be defended for months by my Great-Aunt Effie wielding a rusty spoon."

Adeline smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you, Richard. I know I have nothing to worry about, but…"

Zedd patted Adeline on the shoulder, obviously trying to make up for his seemingly-unwarranted outburst. "Why don't you show me to your archives, my dear? I can take a look at whatever I can find about the Bane. I'll make sure the ceremony does exactly what it's supposed to do."

"Thank you, Zedd," Adeline said, looking greatly relieved.

The door opened again, and Gwendolyn came in, followed by her cadre of seamstresses. "Time's a wasting, Mother Confessor! We have work to do!" She grabbed Kahlan's arm and dragged her off into her room again.

Kahlan turned to look appealingly at Adeline as she left, but Adeline just mouthed, "Sorry!" She looked to Zedd, smiling. "Shall we?" she said. Zedd nodded, followed her out, and Richard was left alone.

He smiled to himself. _You don't have to do anything_, he thought. _You could sit here in a chair and sleep all afternoon if you wanted._ He sat down in the chair Zedd had vacated, adjusting the pillows to make himself comfortable.

And was almost instantly bored. _Relax_, he told himself. _You're just too used to being on the go constantly. Give yourself a break._ A few minutes later, he was tapping his foot. He got up, walked over to the window, and looked out over the gates that led to D'Hara. _Rahl's out there_, Richard thought, and hoped that he came with the army Adeline said was on its way. _Then, maybe_--

The door to Kahlan's room opened abruptly. "Walk!" he heard Gwendolyn order.

"With all these pins?" Kahlan said plaintively.

"I can't finalize the fit until I see how you move in it," Gwendolyn said. "Now walk!"

Kahlan sighed loudly enough for Richard to hear her in the other room. Then she appeared in the doorway, and Richard's jaw dropped.

The gown was a deep blue velvet, almost dark enough to be mistaken for black, but the blue was present enough to bring out the color of Kahlan's eyes. If anything, the darkness of the gown's color enhanced their brightness.

But it wasn't just the color that left Richard speechless. The gown itself seemed to be molded to every curve, the gold braid that served as a belt hugging her hips, the long sleeves with their cuffs trailing nearly to the floor enhancing her elegant length, and at the top the shoulders were almost bare, the sleeves and bodice held up seemingly by magic. Her faint tan from being in the sun so much faded into a creamy whiteness where the gold-edged neckline left more skin exposed than usual.

Kahlan started into the room, looking annoyed and moving a little stiffly, then she stopped, noticing Richard's stare, and the creamy whiteness went pink. Richard tried to close his mouth, but only succeeded in looking rather like a fish out of water.

Kahlan looked slightly flustered when he was finally able to meet her eyes. Richard looked away, blinking, trying to regain his composure, and noticed Gwendolyn peeking around the doorframe. She winked conspiratorially at Richard, and he heard a faint giggling coming from Kahlan's room.

He looked back at Kahlan, and felt a giddy grin spread across his face.

Kahlan blushed even more and looked down at the floor, but she was smiling, too.

"That'll do, Confessor," Gwendolyn said. "Come back in here, and we'll finish up. And you, lad," she nodded at Richard as Kahlan turned and went back into her room, "close that mouth. You're liable to catch flies."

**********

The rest of that day, and the next morning, were a whirlwind of fittings, rehearsals, introductions and running up and down stairs. Richard had far less to do than Kahlan, so he hunted down Bredon and got the grand tour of the keep. Bredon was very proud of the castle, and he had good reason to be. The castle was incredibly well-designed. It would take more than manpower to break its defenses. _But there's a reason they developed Ferimond's Bane_, Richard thought. _Rahl and his ancestors have a lot more than just manpower. I hope Zedd's right and the coronation does what it's supposed to. _Which reminded him that he had a wedding to get ready for, and he made his way back to their rooms before Daffyd came looking for him.

While Richard was finding out about the castle, Kahlan was finding out just how important her role was. It turned out that she was to officiate the wedding itself. She found the prospect intimidating--not only did she have to read the ceremony, but Flynn had asked her to add a few words of her own at the end. It was a daunting prospect, and Kahlan found herself fretting about it. Luckily, Adeline was quickly becoming a good friend. Her unfailing good spirits combined with a wicked sense of humor to keep Kahlan from getting too distressed, in spite of all the running around.

Nevertheless, by the time of the wedding itself, Kahlan was just glad to be standing in one place for a while, though that feeling quickly faded as the ceremony dragged on.

The worst part was that she was right in the center of the ceremony. The Mother Confessor was required to recite different statements at different points, which meant she had to keep her attention focused on what everyone was doing at every moment, or risk looking like an idiot. _At least I have the text in front of me_, she thought, listening to Daffyd drone on. _Well, the ceremonial parts, anyway_. _The rest will have to come from my heart._ She glanced over at Richard for an instant.

When he'd come out of his room in his new clothes for the ceremony, she'd understood how Richard had felt when he saw her in the blue dress. She knew he was handsome--it was hard to ignore that--but he was always Richard to her. But in the deep burgundy vest with a cream-colored silk shirt underneath it, he was something else entirely… _Distracting_, she realized suddenly, wrenching her gaze away from him and trying to figure out what she'd missed while she was admiring him.

Richard's attention was wandering, too. He couldn't take his eyes off Kahlan. Though this gown wasn't quite as spectacular as the blue, it was still remarkable. Gwendolyn had taken the traditional Confessor's gown and embellished it tastefully, with white velvet as the dominant feature, gold trim along the cuffs and hood, and subtle insets of satin. Once again, Gwendolyn had accurately assessed Kahlan's best features and emphasized them beautifully. _I'm going to have to thank that woman_, Richard thought gratefully.

"In this world we see far too little love," Kahlan said, and Richard looked up alertly, realizing that she was no longer just reciting the ceremony. "So when we do find it, we should treasure it, nurture it, hold onto it with everything in us. Because it is love that will light the way through the darkest of times." She was looking at him as she said it, and he knew exactly what she was talking about. She looked back at Flynn and Adeline. "You are both far stronger than you know, but that strength is even greater now that you have each other. Don't ever doubt that."

Adeline looked up into Flynn's eyes, and she glowed. _I wonder if I look like that when I look at Richard_, Kahlan thought, and knew she probably did.

"It is my very great pleasure to name you husband and wife," Kahlan said, smiling. "Let all who witness their kiss know that their bond is complete!"

Flynn leaned forward tentatively and brushed his lips against Adeline, and the hall filled with cheers.

Richard locked eyes with Kahlan as the newlyweds walked back down the aisle. _One day_, he told her with his look. _I swear it_.


	5. Chapter 5

The Bard's Tales: The Blessed Sun

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Project Runway has _not_ called.

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Richard had been expecting as much formality at the wedding ball as there had been at the wedding itself, but as with his introduction to Adeline, he was pleasantly surprised. Adeline and Flynn both had insisted that the music be lively, and the dancing was more of a free-for-all than a court ball. Daffyd looked apoplectic, but neither Adeline nor Flynn paid him any mind, and Richard noticed with amusement that every time Daffyd looked like he was about corral one of them, Queen Isabella or Gwendolyn or Bredon managed to steer him away.

All of which combined to make the evening more fun than he'd had any right to expect. He'd been worried that he'd look foolish while dancing if it were all formal courtly dances, and he desperately wanted to impress Kahlan. But this kind of dancing was right up his alley.

And, to his amazement, it was right up Kahlan's alley as well. She'd seemed relieved once the wedding itself was over, and now… Well, he'd never seen her just having fun, but he realized now, watching her whirl wildly around the floor with Flynn, laughing, that she was very good at it.

Richard made his way over to Adeline, who was watching her new husband from the side of the floor. "Thank you," Richard said over the sound of the music.

"For what?" Adeline said, smiling curiously.

"For that," he said, gesturing at Kahlan and Flynn, who'd just crashed into Zedd, who didn't look like he was having nearly as much fun dancing with Queen Isabella. Flynn was apologizing profusely, but Kahlan couldn't seem to stop laughing, tears running down her face, which only seemed to make Zedd turn red. "I don't think I've ever seen her have this much fun."

Adeline grinned. "Any time," she said.

Flynn brought Kahlan over and handed her off to Richard. "I think she's had enough of me," he said. "I know Zedd has!"

"Oh, Richard, you should go rescue him," Kahlan said breathlessly, looking pityingly at Zedd, who couldn't seem to detach himself from Queen Isabella. "I think she's talking about the chickens again."

Richard looked at Kahlan, resplendent in the blue velvet gown that had left him breathless the day before. "Zedd's on his own tonight," he said, grabbing her hand and dragging her back onto the floor. "It's my turn!" She smiled radiantly at him, and followed his lead.

A few turns around the floor later, and Richard noticed that Adeline had stepped in where he'd been unwilling to tread. She was dancing with Zedd, and his height next to her small size made her look rather like a child dancing with her father.

After that song ended, Kahlan begged off another dance, insisting that she needed to get something to drink, and Richard found himself besieged by a dozen of the queen's ladies-in-waiting.

Kahlan grinned, looking back at him, and then turned back and almost crashed into Flynn. "You looked thirsty," he said, handing her a glass of wine.

"Thank you, Flynn, I am," she said.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment, as long as Adeline is occupied," he said, pointing to where his wife was dancing with Bredon, who was smiling indulgently at her.

"Of course," Kahlan said, but she felt uneasy.

Flynn led her over to an alcove and turned to look earnestly at her. "I have to tell you something," he said, and Kahlan braced herself. "I wanted to apologize."

"For what?" Kahlan said, frowning in confusion.

"After what you said today--which was beautiful!--but it occurred to me that I might have led you on over the last few days," he said, and Kahlan's eyes went wide. _What on earth is he talking about?_ she thought. "I know we were close, before, and I had thought that when I saw you again, I might feel the same way I used to," he said in a rush, "and even though I knew I was going to marry Adeline, I wasn't sure…" He trailed off, and Kahlan took a drink of the wine, worried about where this was headed. "But I wanted to be sure, to be fair to Adeline. So that's why I was talking to you so much. To be sure. And now I'm sure. I should have told you sooner, but everything was happening so fast."

"Told me what, Flynn?" Kahlan said, dreading the answer.

"I think…I've…well, I've grown...out of love…with…with you," he stammered.

"What?" Kahlan said, completely unprepared for that statement.

"I'm sorry, Kahlan, I never meant to hurt you," Flynn said pleadingly. "But even if I weren't actually married to Adeline, I think I'd still want to be with her. She's just so wonderful! Not that you're not. You are! You're both wonderful, just in different--"

"Flynn, it's all right," Kahlan said, raising her hand, trying to stop this embarrassing conversation. "I understand."

"Can you forgive me?" he asked, grabbing her hand.

"I…" Kahlan stopped, swallowing to try to cover the smile that threatened to slip out. She glanced back out to the floor of the hall, and saw Richard grinning broadly at her, which only made it worse. _Don't laugh at him. Don't you dare laugh at him_. "I'll…get over it," she finished, trying to pull her hand free.

"I don't want this to change our friendship," Flynn said, squeezing her hand, clearly misinterpreting her struggle for control. "I know Adeline thinks the world of you, and so do I."

"Don't worry, Flynn," Kahlan said, and she was able to put aside the ludicrous situation for a moment and focus on the fact that she still liked Flynn, no matter how silly he could be at times. She set her wine down and put her free hand around his. "I will always consider you one of my dearest friends."

He let out a breath he'd apparently been holding. "Thank you, Kahlan. That means everything to me," he said.

Kahlan glanced over to where Adeline was looking at her, raising her eyebrows. _Do you need me_? Adeline mouthed. Kahlan smiled, shaking her head slightly. "I believe your wife is looking for you, Flynn," she said.

He turned, looking for her, and smiled when he caught her eye. He looked back at Kahlan. "Will you be all right?" he asked.

"I'll be fine, Flynn," she said gravely. "Go to her."

Richard came over as Flynn ran over to his wife. He looked inquiringly at Kahlan, and she grabbed his arm, dragged him into the corner of the alcove and buried her face in his shirt. "What?" he said, surprised. "What is it, Kahlan? What's wrong?" She was shaking. He pulled back from her, worried, and then realized in amazement that she was laughing. Hysterically. "What was that about?" he asked, grinning as she tried to regain control of herself.

Kahlan took a ragged breath, then started giggling again. He let her wind down for a moment, and she was finally able to answer. "That..." she wheezed, "...that was Flynn letting me down easy," she said.

"Letting you…" Richard repeated, confused. "You mean he thought that you--?"

Kahlan nodded, and the look on Richard's face set her off again. "Let's get some air," Kahlan finally choked out. "I can't breathe!"

"You've just been laughing too much," Richard said, grinning at her.

"There is no such thing," Kahlan said mock-seriously. She led him towards the door to the great hall. "Let's go look at the stars."

Richard followed her out, wondering just how much wine she'd had, and they climbed the stairs up to the balcony overlooking the courtyard in front of the east gate. It was pleasantly cool, and the snowcapped peaks on either side of them glowed a faint blue under the starlight, a blue that nearly matched Kahlan's eyes.

She was looking up at one of the mountains, and Richard felt his heart beat faster just looking at her. She glanced at him, noticing his scrutiny, and smiled.

"It's beautiful," he said, not taking his eyes off her.

"What is?" she said softly, her eyes twinkling.

Richard stepped toward her, reaching out to touch her cheek.

Kahlan felt her breath catch as he gently pulled her toward him. _I should stop this_, she thought, but she nearly cried in frustration when there was a clatter of feet on the stairs, and Richard pulled his hand away abruptly, stepping over to the railing. _Whoever it is, I may throw them off the balcony_, she thought.

"Oh!" Flynn said, reaching the balcony, Adeline close behind him. "I didn't--I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, Flynn," Richard said, "we were just…admiring the view."

Kahlan couldn't hide her smile.

"Ah," Adeline said archly, noticing Kahlan's look, "yes, the view is lovely, isn't--" She broke off abruptly, looking past them, and her eyes went wide, the smile vanishing.

"What is it?" Richard said, turning to follow her gaze.

Out in the valley, he could see twinkling lights. Thousands of them, it seemed, all moving slightly, and as he watched, he could see they were getting closer.

"I don't suppose your great-aunt Effie would be available, Richard? I think we might be needing her services soon," Adeline said, looking out at the valley that seemed filled with D'Harans, and she was only half-kidding. _If the Bane doesn't work, we're going to need all the help we can get_, she thought, and felt a prickle of fear.


	6. Chapter 6

The Bard's Tales: The Blessed Sun

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Okay, since Project Runway seems to be ignoring me, if I want to make any money off this stuff, I'll have to turn to an endorsement deal. Bernina, if you want Gwendolyn to pitch your sewing machines, you have to go through me…she's all mine! As are the rest, except for the usual suspects.

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"So what do we do?" Flynn asked. They'd returned to the hall to round up Zedd and Bredon and develop a plan for the defense of the castle, if it came to that.

"First," Zedd said, "we get you crowned. Tonight."

"Tonight?" Flynn said. "But Daffyd will--"

Zedd snorted. "Don't you worry about Daffyd. We'll do a simple version of the coronation tonight, just so Ferimond's Bane is in effect. Then we can have the full ceremony tomorrow as planned."

Adeline nodded. "I doubt if they'll be ready to attack tonight, or even tomorrow morning, but better to be prepared. I'll tell Daffyd to get everything ready."

Zedd grabbed her arm as she started past him. "Tell him a simple version—no sense keeping us awake all night because he can't give up his protocol."

She nodded, smiling. "I know how to handle Daffyd," she said.

"And just in case," Richard said after she'd gotten out of earshot, "Bredon, you and Kahlan and I will go over the castle's non-magical defenses."

"How many men do you have?" Kahlan asked.

Bredon's lips tightened. "Thirty," he said grimly.

"Thirty?" Richard echoed, his eyes widening. "That's all?"

"We've never had to worry about an attack!" Bredon said, slightly defensive. "This castle hasn't seen a siege in a thousand years."

Kahlan sighed. "How about recruiting extra men from the other people in the castle, or from the towns in the rest of Eridor?"

Bredon nodded. "We can probably get at least another ten or fifteen from here, and I'll send out word to the villages. But we can defend this place," he said confidently, "even with just my thirty men. Thirty covers the walls, which is the most likely avenue of attack."

"Just the same, I'd rather have too many men than too few," Richard said.

Bredon strode out to make his preparations, leaving Kahlan, Flynn, Richard and Zedd alone. "So this ceremony," Flynn said, frowning. "You're sure it will work?"

"Absolutely," Zedd said, but Richard shot Kahlan a look. Both of them knew Zedd well enough to tell when he was…embellishing the truth. _He doesn't know_, Kahlan thought. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to doublecheck a few details of the ceremony before we commence."

Flynn nodded, and went off to find Adeline and Daffyd. Kahlan and Richard turned back to Zedd. "Zedd--" Richard began, and Zedd cut him off.

"I just need to make certain we have all the elements in place," Zedd said.

"But you're not sure we do?" Kahlan said worriedly.

"When it comes to magic that I didn't create, I'm rarely sure of anything," he said gruffly, and left.

He came back an hour later, still looking faintly uneasy, joining the rest of them in the hall where the wedding had been only a few hours earlier. Even with Adeline berating Daffyd to keep it short, the "simplified" coronation still took an hour. Richard hated to think how long the full-length version would be. He found himself almost hoping Ferimond's Bane wasn't in effect so he wouldn't have to be there.

Flynn looked nervous as they approached the end, and Kahlan raised the crown over his head and lowered it into place. "Rise, King Flynn," she said, smiling.

Flynn looked up and around. "Should something have happened? Should I feel different?"

Zedd looked uneasy. "I don't know," he said. "The texts I've looked at weren't all that specific about what would happen."

Kahlan looked resigned. "Well, I guess we'll find out when the D'Harans attack."

**********

Despite Zedd's insistence that they all needed to get some rest, Kahlan and Richard spent half the night working with Bredon to recruit and outfit another twenty fighters (if you could call them that). _None of them has ever handled much more than a paring knife from the look of things_, Kahlan had thought. _But any warm body will be useful if it comes to that_.

But even though they were both exhausted, Kahlan and Richard found themselves unable to sleep. They found each other at the windows as dawn broke, looking out on the plain in front of the castle. There were even more D'Harans than they'd thought. _They must have been arriving all night_, Richard thought. Zedd hadn't come in, as far as Richard knew. He suspected he was down in the archives, still trying to make certain Ferimond's Bane would work.

Richard and Kahlan ate a simple breakfast (this time the toast was perfectly golden) in silence, both feeling a strange pressure from the presence of all those D'Harans in the valley.

When Gwendolyn came in a bit later to help Kahlan get dressed for the coronation, Kahlan tried to convince her to just let her wear her normal Confessor's gown. At least that way, if it came to fighting, she'd be prepared.

"Absolutely not!" Gwendolyn said. "My seamstresses worked for days on this! Why on earth would you want to wear that?" She gestured at Kahlan's gown, which she had to admit was looking a bit the worse for wear, even after having been cleaned.

"I…" Kahlan started, and Richard shot her a look. _He's right_, she thought, _I can't tell her why. There's no reason to alarm anyone else--yet_. "Never mind," she said.

Gwendolyn frowned at her a moment, then nodded abruptly and dragged her off to her room again. Kahlan came out several minutes later in yet another stunning gown, this one a deep green, and with the same long, trailing sleeves there had been on the blue one. But Gwendolyn didn't look happy. "I don't like it," she said sharply. "Not one bit."

"I do," Richard said, and Gwendolyn raised her eyebrow, then smiled, and she tilted her head in acknowledgement of the compliment. But the smile faded fast, and she wasn't about to give up the argument.

"I worked very hard to get the hemline right," she said. "But this changes everything--"

"No arguments, Gwendolyn. I'm wearing them, and that's final," Kahlan said, and headed for the door.

Gwendolyn turned to look searchingly at Richard. "Something's going on, isn't it?" she asked once Kahlan had left.

"No," Richard said. "Nothing's going on."

"It has to do with those D'Harans--they wouldn't be here if they didn't think Ferimond's Bane wasn't working," she said. "And she," she gestured at the closed door, "wouldn't be wearing those nasty worn-out boots if she didn't think she was going to be doing a lot of running."

"It's just a precaution," Richard said. "There's no reason to worry."

She snorted. "My boy, I didn't get to be where I am without a healthy bit of worrying. It keeps you sharp." She took a long look at him again. "Fine, keep your worries to yourself. But I'll be ready if you need me." She turned on her heel and swept out of the room.

_Need you?_ Richard thought. _For what? I don't think the D'Harans are going to need alterations._ He shook off the thought and went to get ready.

An hour later, they were all back in the great hall again, this time with a lot more people. Flynn and Adeline came in, wearing elaborate purple robes edged with ermine, walked down the center aisle and knelt in front of the dais. Richard looked around and saw Bredon. _He should be on the walls_, Richard thought, frowning. Bredon caught his eye, and came over.

"Don't worry," he whispered. "I have a relay system set up. The moment the D'Harans move on the keep, I'll know. I can be on the walls before they get within bowshot."

Richard nodded, relieved. The ceremony began with Daffyd reading a lengthy text on the history of the kings of Eridor. Richard covered a yawn. Flynn fidgeted, and Adeline put her hand on his arm to calm him. Kahlan stood just behind Daffyd on the dais, looking as though she'd rather be anywhere else. There was no sign of Zedd. Or of Queen Isabella. _That's odd_, Richard thought.

**********

"Shouldn't you be at the coronation?" Zedd said, looking up from the book he was reading as Queen Isabella came up.

She waved her hand airily. "They can manage without me. I'm just the Queen Mother after today. I thought perhaps I could help you."

"Help me?" Zedd said with dismay.

"Oh, come now, I know what's going on. Mardon may not have told me what the key to Ferimond's Bane was, but I was married to the man for fourteen years. I may know a few things that might help."

Zedd sighed, trying to figure out some way to get her to leave. He looked up finally. "I do need your help," he said. "I need you to go up and keep an eye on things outside. If the Bane doesn't work, and the D'Harans come, they'll need me on the walls. If they do, you need to send someone for me."

Queen Isabella looked faintly crestfallen, but nodded. "And if you need me for anything, you just have to ask," she said, batting her eyelashes at him.

_Spirits help me,_ Zedd thought. _Another day with that woman, and I'll be begging the D'Harans to put me out of my misery_.

**********

Daffyd was still droning on, and Kahlan looked as though she were about to throttle him. There was a faint thud, and Richard turned to see one of Bredon's guards coming through the door. Bredon met him behind one of the pillars along the side of the hall. A few seconds later, he looked over at Richard, and waved him over.

Richard slipped out of his seat and joined him. "They're coming," Bredon said, leading him out of the hall. Richard shot a quick look back at Kahlan, and she nodded. He turned and followed Bredon out to the walls.

It was only a group of five men, apparently all the D'Harans were willing to risk on a first test of Ferimond's Bane. They approached the walls slowly, as though braced for something horrible to happen.

"Where do you want me?" a woman said behind them. Richard turned to find Gwendolyn behind him. At least, he thought it was Gwendolyn--it was hard to tell. She was wearing a helmet and a breastplate and was holding a rather large and lethal-looking axe. The breastplate looked as though it had been forged for someone with a little less breast to cover, and the straps holding it in place seemed strained to the breaking point. She noticed Richard's skeptical look and advanced on him, holding the ax ready. "Scissors aren't the only sharp objects I know how to use," she said. "And I've a right to defend my home, don't I?"

"Absolutely," Richard said. He cleared his throat. "Uh, Bredon, where would you like to put Gwendolyn?"

Bredon cleared his throat, too. "Uh, you can back up Martin there above the gate," he said, gesturing at one of his guards.

Gwendolyn nodded, and marched over to her post.

Richard looked back out to where the D'Haran's were finally within bowshot. One of them raised a crossbow and fired. The bolt sailed harmlessly into the wall with a clatter. Richard held his breath.

But nothing happened to the man who'd fired it.


	7. Chapter 7

The Bard's Tales: The Blessed Sun

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Okay, Bernina's ignoring me, too. So you powers-that-be clearly don't need to worry about li'l ol' me and my motley crew of characters leeching off your universe.

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_The Bane isn't working_, Richard thought in dismay. And even as he thought it, a much larger contingent of D'Harans began moving toward the gate. They had scaling ladders with them.

"Get ready to fire once they're within range," Bredon called to his crossbowmen. "Wait for my signal."

"Oh, dear," another woman's voice said behind Richard. This time it was Queen Isabella.

"What are you doing up here, your majesty?" Richard said. "It's not safe."

"So the Bane isn't working, then?" she said.

"It doesn't look like it is," Richard said grimly.

She nodded. "Well, then, I have to go tell Zedd," she said, and turned to go down the stairs.

"Wait!" Richard called after her, and she stopped, looking up at him. "Tell Kahlan, too. We'll need all the fighters up here we can get."

"Of course," she said, and ran down the stairs faster than he would have thought possible for someone with such tiny legs.

Kahlan looked up alertly when she noticed Queen Isabella enter the hall. She didn't bother with subtlety, she just marched right up to Kahlan. Daffyd stumbled over his words for a moment, then recovered, continuing.

"The Bane isn't working," Queen Isabella whispered to Kahlan. "The Seeker asked for you."

Kahlan nodded. "How much longer?" she whispered to Daffyd when he took a breath. He looked back at her, frowning.

"Why?"

"Because last night's ceremony didn't take, so whatever we did wasn't enough," she said impatiently. "Will this ceremony do it? And how much longer will it take to finish?"

Flynn's eyes widened.

"Well, I don't…I'm not…" Daffyd stopped, swallowing. "If I follow it to the letter, at least a half an hour longer."

Kahlan gritted her teeth, looking out at the crowd of Eridoreans who seemed to have realized something was wrong. She sighed. "Talk faster," she said. "I'm going out to the walls. Keep everyone else in here," she said to Flynn. "If it comes to that, we'll make our last stand here." He nodded, looking green, and she headed back down the aisle with Queen Isabella. She stopped and half-turned, noticing that Adeline was following her as well. "What do you think you're doing?" Kahlan said.

"I'm going with you to defend my castle," Adeline said, unlacing the heavy coronation robe. Kahlan was stunned to see that she had a sword belted at her waist underneath the robe. She looked steadily at Kahlan.

Kahlan finally sighed and nodded. "All right," she said, hiking up her skirt to draw both her daggers from her boot sheaths. "But no getting killed, understood? Flynn would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you."

"Likewise," Adeline said, flinging aside the coronation robe.

"Be careful, my dear," Queen Isabella said to her step-daughter when they got to the door of the hall. "I must go tell Zedd what is happening. He's still in the archives. Maybe he'll have figured out what went wrong."

_I hope so_, Kahlan thought as she and Adeline ran down the stairs to the courtyard. There were cries of fear coming from the walls above them, and when Kahlan looked up, she saw a gar streaking through the air towards the wall. There was a small man with a battleaxe held at the ready. The gar plunged toward him, and the axe swung as the man dove to the side, moving surprisingly fast considering his girth. The axe cut through the wing of the gar, and it shrieked in pain, struggling to remain airborne. It twisted in midair, banking down…and straight for them.

Adeline drew her sword, but Kahlan's dagger flew through the air, taking the gar in the throat. It plunged down into the center of the courtyard just ahead of them. Adeline ignored it, sprinting for the walls. Kahlan looked up for a moment, trying to see if there were more gars. There were--they were everywhere, it seemed, though after a moment she counted only five, possibly six.

She followed Adeline up the stairs, a flight behind her. "Keep your focus on the D'Harans!" Kahlan yelled to the defenders above her as she ran. _Thank the spirits I made Gwendolyn let me wear my own boots_, she thought. "They're just using the gars to distract us!"

"It's WORKING!" Richard yelled from the wall above her, diving under the attack of another of the flying creatures.

_I know_, Kahlan thought, reaching the landing and starting up the second flight. _Come on, Zedd. You have to figure this out. We need Ferimond's Bane __now_.

She was nearly to the top of the stairs when she heard the scream of another gar approaching. She looked up to see two of the creatures swooping toward her. She flung her remaining dagger on the run, and was amazed to see her aim was true--it struck the first one in the eye, and it shrieked, rearing back, then plunging down, striking the battlements and crashing into a scaling ladder just as a D'Haran was reaching the top. The gar and the D'Haran both fell out of sight, the shattered ladder falling with them.

But Kahlan didn't have time to celebrate with the other gar still headed straight for her, and no weapons left. She drove hard for the last step, hoping to be able to dive forward and under its attack. But as she did, she stepped on the trailing sleeve of her gown. She wrenched at it, still moving forward, then it tore suddenly. The abrupt loss of the force pulling her down sent her off balance and she wheeled her arms, trying to keep from falling back down the long flight of stairs, forgetting for an instant the imminent threat from the gar.

As she regained her balance, though, she saw it only yards away, its baleful green eyes locked on hers. She braced for the impact, knowing it was too late to avoid it. "Kahlan!" she heard two voices yell.

And then a figure came running from ahead and to her right, a sword flashed, and all at once the gar's head was tumbling down the stairs next to her, the body skidding to a stop inches from her, still twitching.

Kahlan looked up, expecting to see Richard, but it wasn't. It was Adeline looking down at the dead gar, her eyes wide, the black blood of the creature dripping from the sword hanging loosely in her hand. She seemed to come to herself, and looked over at Kahlan, smiling weakly. "If I have anything to say about it, this is the year trailing sleeves will go out of fashion," she said.

Kahlan laughed, immensely relieved. "You'll get no argument from me," she said. "But I don't know what Gwendolyn will--"

"Kahlan!" Richard said, and then he was crushing her against him. He looked over at Adeline. "Thank you," he said fervently. "Are you all right?" he asked Kahlan when he finally released her.

"I'm fine," Kahlan said, and turned to follow Adeline to the wall. A second ladder was just tipping up and into place, with another a few yards down following it.

"I don't think any of us will be fine for much longer at this rate," Adeline said breathlessly.

But as Richard prepared to stop any D'Harans that might reach the top, they heard Zedd yell from above them, "Get out of the way!" They looked up and saw the wizard on the balcony where they'd first seen the army arrive. The three of them scrambled away from the wall, and wizard's fire roared past them, blasting away one ladder after another, along with several D'Harans and the three remaining gars.

The ladders stopped coming, and when they went back to the walls, they saw the D'Harans retreating to their lines. Adeline let out a sigh of relief.

"You know, sometimes wizards are awfully useful," Richard said. "It almost makes putting up with them worthwhile."

"I won't tell him you said that," Adeline said.

"They may have stopped for now," Kahlan said, "but they'll be back."

"As long as they don't have any more gars, I think we can hold them off," Richard said.

"Of course we can," the short man with the axe said, coming up, and Kahlan was stunned to realize it wasn't a man at all. It was Gwendolyn. "I apologize, Confessor. Had I known you'd be in this kind of situation," she said pointedly, "I would have made you a much more functional gown."

Kahlan smiled. "It's all right," she said, though she borrowed a dagger from one of the guards so she could cut down her remaining sleeve. "I'll just keep her close to me while I'm wearing it," she added, nodding at Adeline, who grinned.

"I'm going back to the archives! I'll let you know the instant I find something," Zedd called down to them from the balcony, then turned and ran down the stairs to the archives with Queen Isabella chattering at his heels.

"You really are quite impressive," she was saying. "The way you blasted those gars! My, oh, my."

He ignored her, trying to think of what possible explanation there could be for Ferimond's Bane not to work. _We must be missing some element of the coronation_, he thought, but Daffyd had been so thorough. Surely he wouldn't have missed anything. _Well, he's certainly thorough_, Zedd thought,_ but he isn't exactly the brightest star in the firmament_.

"It would be so useful to have you around all the time," Queen Isabella was saying as they entered the archives. "Of course, I know that's not likely, you wizards have such a habit of disappearing whenever--"

Zedd whirled and she nearly crashed into him. "What did you say?"

She looked surprised. "I said it would be useful to have you around--"

"No, not that," he said, waving his hand. "After that…that wizards have a habit of disappearing." He stroked his chin.

"I do hope you weren't offended by my comment," Isabella said quickly. "I certainly meant no disrespect. After all, you wizards have important things to do, protecting the world from evil and whatnot. You couldn't possibly have time for a little kingdom like--"

Zedd abruptly turned again and ran for one of the tables full of books he'd been reading. He sorted through the piles, tossing aside one book after another. "Aha!" he said, finding the one he'd been looking for. He opened it, leafing rapidly through the pages. He finally stopped, reading intently.

"What is it?" Queen Isabella said, scurrying forward to join him by the table. "Have you found something?"

He turned to her, grabbing her arm with one hand. "Did Mardon have a pendant?" he said.

"Excuse me?" she said, clearly confused.

"A pendant!" he shouted. "About yea big," he made a circle with his thumb and forefinger about two inches wide.

"I…I don't believe so," she said. "That is, he had a number of things--"

"Of course not!" Zedd said, turning back to the book and reading some more. "Ha!" he shouted, pointing at the page. "Zephath was a genius, all right--too smart for his own good! You wouldn't have seen it at all!"

"Seen what?" Queen Isabella asked, hopelessly confused.

Zedd sprang past her, grabbing her arm as he ran and dragging her behind him. "Quickly! We need to get to the crypt!"


	8. Chapter 8

The Bard's Tales: The Blessed Sun

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: How about I auction off a date with Flynn? Adeline won't mind. Bidding starts at one Red Cap (don't try to bid a Bennington Bantam—I made that one up). To the powers that be: if I actually get a Red Cap out of this, I'll give you a wing. That seems fair. (Srsly, not mine, no money changing hands, just having a bit o' fun...)

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Richard looked down at the valley. The D'Harans were approaching in large numbers now, but he only saw a couple of scaling ladders. Instead, in the center of their formation was a large wooden contraption on wheels.

"They have a battering ram," Bredon said. He ran to the nearest archer. "Get fire arrows! Quickly!" The archer ran for a nearby stairway. Bredon came back over to Richard. "If we can set it on fire before it gets here…" he said, and Richard nodded.

"And if we can't?" Kahlan asked.

Bredon shrugged. "Our gates are magically protected," he said. "But the D'Harans have wizards, too."

"Mother Confessor!" Daffyd called from behind her. She turned to see the Lord Chamberlain running up the stairs toward her.

He skidded to a stop just in front of her, breathing hard. "We…need…you…" He took a deep breath. "For the ceremony…" he finished.

"Me?" Kahlan said. "Zedd figured it out?"

He looked uncomfortable. "I believe…the Mother Confessor…has to give a blessing. Hurry!"

"You believe--?" Kahlan started, but he was already hurtling down the stairs to the courtyard. _Oh, not again_, Kahlan thought, then sighed, following him at a run. _These stairs are going to kill me yet. And if he's wrong about this, __I'm__ going to kill __him_.

Down two flights, then back up two, and they sprinted into the great hall. _Again_, Kahlan thought, trying to catch her breath.

Daffyd ran forward to where Flynn was standing. He'd taken off the coronation robes and was pacing back and forth in front of the dais, a crowd of distressed Eridoreans murmuring worriedly in front of him.

Kahlan looked around. "Where's Zedd?"

"As far as I know the wizard still in the archives," Daffyd said, looking perturbed.

"You mean this wasn't his idea?" Kahlan said, ready to throttle the little man.

"I have every reason to believe that there was a simple omission of one tiny step in the coronation," Daffyd said with dignity. "Horgrid's--"

"Oh, for--" Kahlan interrupted, then gave up. "Fine. Just do it. Quick." _If it works, then I'll forgive him. If it doesn't, well, I was already down here anyway_.

"Very well," Daffyd said. "First, your majesty, you must kneel before the Mother Confessor."

Flynn knelt.

"No, no, no, not here!" Daffyd said. "In front of the throne. And we need you to wear the coronation robes."

"Well, why didn't you say so?!" Flynn said, annoyed. He grabbed up the heavy coronation robes from the throne and pulled them on, while Kahlan fidgeted, worrying about what was going on outside. The rhythmic thuds of a battering ram began, and the crowd's murmuring grew more nervous. _That has to be a monster battering ram for it to still be audible this deep inside the castle_, Kahlan thought uneasily. _Those gates won't hold for long_.

"Is all this really necessary?" she said, watching as Daffyd carefully--and agonizingly slowly--laced the robe up the front.

"I think it has become abundantly clear that the ceremony must be correct," Daffyd said coldly. "The slightest variation from the procedure may lead to failure. Better to get it right than to have to do it again."

Kahlan sighed. "So what do I say?" she asked. To her horror, Daffyd stopped lacing up the robes, and turned to consult a book, turning pages slowly. She rolled her eyes. _This idiot is going to get us all killed because he can't do more than one thing at a time_.

"Ah, yes," he said finally, "here we are. You will place your right hand on the King's head, and say, 'I hereby bless this son of Eridor. May he uphold the honor and integrity of the line of Valimon, protect the people of Eridor, and preserve the kingdom.'"

Flynn was still fumbling with the laces of the robe. "Leave it!" Kahlan whispered, gesturing to him to join her in front of the throne. He scrambled over, knelt before her, and she put her hand on his head. "I hereby bless this son of Eridor," she said as quickly as possible. "May he uphold the honor and integrity of…"

"…of the line of Valimon," Daffyd prompted.

"Of the line of Valimon, protect the people of Eridor, and preserve the kingdom," she finished in a rush. They waited, hoping there'd be a sign.

There was. The next thud of the battering ram came, unchecked. "Oh, BOLLOCKS!" Flynn said, shaking his scepter as if it were the problem. "What are we doing wrong?"

"Your majesty!" Daffyd said, aghast.

"Oh, stuff it, Daffyd!" Flynn said heatedly. "We're about to be overrun by D'Harans--I think a little profanity is in order!"

Daffyd shut his mouth, blinking in surprise.

"I can't believe we can't figure out one stupid ritual!" Flynn said, flinging the scepter to the floor.

"I don't understand," Daffyd said plaintively. "Horgrid's History of the Line of Valimon seemed quite clear!"

Kahlan sat down on the steps to the throne, putting her head in her hands. _This was definitely not one of the million ways I thought our quest would end_, Kahlan thought. _Death by arrow, yes, death by torture, absolutely, but death by stupidity? No._

"Horgrid's History was written 200 years after the last break in the line of Valimon," Zedd said, entering the hall, with Queen Isabella at his heels. "And he was wrong. Which, if you'd read his account of the death of Ferimond, you'd have known. 'Death rained down on Ferimond, in the form of a great fiery ermine'?" Zedd quoted, his voice reeking of sarcasm. "A flaming killer weasel? Really?"

Kahlan looked up to see Daffyd's face turning bright red.

"The problem," Zedd said, returning to the subject at hand and smiling smugly, "is that we're missing a piece of the regalia."

"What?!" Daffyd shrieked. "How dare you suggest--!"

"I'm not suggesting anything," Zedd interrupted, holding up a small book. "It's all here in black and white. You're missing the Blessed Sun."

"The what?" Flynn said over Daffyd's sputtering.

"The Blessed Sun," Queen Isabella said, and she was bubbling with excitement. "We had to go to the crypt to find it."

"Find what?" Flynn said.

Zedd opened his palm, and a small gold chain with a circular symbol on it was in his hand. "The Blessed Sun is a magical symbol," he said. "It is only visible in the hands of the wizard who made it. Or," he added with pride, "one of his line." He held out his open palm.

Kahlan stood and walked forward to see what he held. The symbol was a sun, with wavy rays radiating from a center circle with a smiling face on it. As Kahlan looked closer, she realized the face was winking, with a jaunty smile. "It is to be worn by the king at all times, but because of its importance in the transfer of the power of Ferimond's Bane, it was to be kept secret. Apparently, King Mardon had only told the previous Lord Chamberlain. When they both died together, the secret was lost." He looked pointedly at Flynn. "Something you might want to keep in mind. Anyway, the Blessed Sun was still around his neck when he was interred."

"You went into the crypt?" Flynn asked, his eyes wide.

"We had to," Queen Isabella said. "I'm sure Mardon wouldn't mind. So what do we have to do now?" she asked Zedd.

"We have to do the ceremony from the beginning, I'm afraid," Zedd said. "The Blessed Sun is meant to be on the king-to-be before the coronation starts, or the spell won't take effect."

"We have to do it all over again?" Flynn said, dismayed. "The whole thing?!"

Kahlan looked at Zedd grimly. "Do it fast. I'll go warn Richard. We'll hold them off as long as we can." She took off at a run, wincing at the blisters on her feet, thinking, _Down and up the stairs again. Wonderful_.

**********

"Adeline!" Kahlan called from the stairs. She and Richard were standing in the courtyard with the castle guard, all thirty of them, and most of the rest of their recruited defenders lined up behind them, makeshift weapons at the ready. Even Gwendolyn was there, her axe held in both hands, and Kahlan thought, _I wouldn't want to be the D'Haran that goes up against her_. The remaining men were lined along the stairs, crossbows at the ready.

Kahlan limped down the stairs between them, trying to keep her balance on her tired legs, and the defenders at the bottom parted to let her through. Richard grabbed her arm to steady her as she reached his side.

"They may need you inside," Kahlan said to Adeline. She nodded, and ran up the stairs. Kahlan turned to Richard. "We have to hold them. Zedd figured it out, but…" She stopped, trying to catch her breath. "…but they have to do the ceremony again."

"The whole thing?" Richard said, his voice rising to a ridiculous pitch. "We can't possibly hold them off for an hour!"

"Zedd'll make it go faster," she said. "I'm betting Daffyd made it a lot more complicated than it needed to be."

Richard snorted. "I won't take that bet. And what was that about 'they may need you inside?'" Richard said, half-smiling.

Kahlan smiled back. "I don't want her here if the D'Harans break through."

"Good," Richard said. "I couldn't figure out a way to get her to go back inside. She's almost as stubborn as you."

She glared at him. "Why is everyone down here?" she asked to change the subject, figuring it wouldn't be long before he tried to get her to go inside, too.

Richard looked grim. "We couldn't stop the battering ram," he said, and there was a deafening thud, followed by an ominous creaking from the gates. They all looked fearfully over at it, bracing themselves, but the gates held, at least for the moment. "We tried setting it on fire with fire arrows, but it's magically protected."

Kahlan nodded. "Of course. Rahl wouldn't have sent his army to attack a magically-protected castle without some magic of his own. Which means these gates won't hold for long." There was another thud, and more ominous creaking, followed by a faint cracking sound. "So we're going to make our stand here?" she said.

"Bredon says this is the key," Richard said. "Even if they get up and over the walls, they have to come here to get to the rest of the castle."

"So that's why there are all those stairs," Kahlan said, finally understanding the ridiculous layout of the place.

"Exactly," Richard said. "Bredon showed me how it all works--every possible breach in the outer defenses only gets the besieger so far. After they break through, everything funnels through this spot--"

"So if we can hold this courtyard--" Kahlan said, nodding.

"Then maybe we can hold them off long enough for Zedd to finish the ceremony," Richard finished, but he wasn't convinced they could do it. The courtyard was narrow, but not narrow enough. Fifty men wouldn't go far in that space, and the D'Harans had thousands to throw at them. _Where's Great-Aunt Effie when I need her?_ he thought. "We'll hold here as long as we can, and then fall back up the stairs. We might be able to hold them a bit longer at the first landing."

Kahlan nodded. The thud came again, and it sounded deeper this time.

"Listen, we may not have much time," Richard said, grabbing Kahlan by the arms and looking intensely at her. "If this goes badly, I need you to know--"

The battering ram struck again, and there was a horrible grinding sound as the gates broke, the hinges tearing, and there was a gap wide enough for a man to pass through. There was a yell, and the first D'Haran lunged through the gap, pushing on the gates to widen the opening.

Kahlan and Richard looked at him, then back at each other. "Don't worry. I know," Kahlan whispered to him, and she turned to fight as the D'Harans poured through the mangled gates, running towards the tiny collection of defenders.


	9. Chapter 9

The Bard's Tales: The Blessed Sun

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Okay, nine chapters in, I think y'all know the drill. Not mine, blahblahblah, something intended to be witty. The end!

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Suddenly, there was a crack of thunder, and a flash of light from behind and far above them. They whirled, looking up, and above the highest tower of the castle, there was a bright light. It grew, taking on a golden hue, and Kahlan realized it was starting to look like the little medallion Zedd had held. _It's the Blessed Sun_, she thought. _Even down to the winking eye. Apparently the Zorander sense of humor is hereditary_. It shone down on them for a moment, grinning, and the D'Harans froze around them, terrified. Some of them began to run, and more followed when the shape began to move down toward them, leaving a trail of fire behind it. "Ferimond's Bane!" one of them yelled.

"Well, it's about time," Richard said.

_I suppose you could see it as vaguely weasel-shaped_, Kahlan thought irrelevantly as it sprouted stubby flaming arms and a long, flaming tail, and then she realized it was heading straight for them. Richard grabbed her and pulled her over to the wall, shoving her down to the ground and covering her head with one arm as he held the Sword of Truth over them as a shield.

There was a crackling of flames followed by a deafening roar, but they felt no heat, even as they heard agonized screams from the D'Harans. Neither of them dared to look up, afraid of what they might see.

Minutes later, the screams were gone, and the roar slowly faded into the distance. Richard finally looked up, and then helped Kahlan to her feet. They found the rest of the castle's defenders, including Bredon and Gwendolyn, looking around at the empty courtyard in awe. There was no sign of the D'Harans. Except for a dusty ash coating everything, Richard realized, and felt vaguely nauseous.

Kahlan turned and walked toward the gate. Richard followed, and they both stepped past the shattered gates. The battering ram was gone, too, and in front of them, the valley was empty.

"It's too much to hope for that Rahl was out there, isn't it?" Richard said.

Kahlan nodded. "He's not that stupid. But we cost him a lot of men today," she said with grim satisfaction. "Something tells me he's going to be very unhappy about this."

"And that thought makes me deliriously happy," Richard said, turning to grab her by both arms, leaning in, and kissing her soundly.

For a moment, she luxuriated in the feel of him against her, but she felt her power stirring. Richard was learning her limits, though, and he pulled away before she had to break the kiss. She looked at him, and he smiled. "I wanted to finish what we started last night," he said. "Well, I guess starting what I wanted to start would be a more appropriate way to put it. The finishing will have to wait a little longer," he said huskily, and she felt a stirring of more than just her power at that thought.

"Richard! Kahlan!" Zedd called from behind them. They turned, and he, Adeline, Flynn and apparently everyone else in the castle were streaming down the steps toward them, cheering.

"Thank the spirits you're all right," Adeline said, running forward to embrace Kahlan as she and Richard shoved the gates further open and reentered the courtyard. "I was afraid we weren't fast enough."

"Fast enough?" Richard said, laughing. "Your timing couldn't have been better. I didn't even have to break a sweat. But I thought you had to do the whole ceremony again. There's no way you could have--"

"Well," Zedd said, suppressing a smile, "I was worried we wouldn't have enough time. So I tried the really short version first."

"The really short version?" Kahlan asked.

"He put the Blessed Sun on me, popped the crown on my head and said, 'You're the king,'" Flynn said. "The second-best ceremony we had this week." He smiled at his wife.

"The Blessed Sun?" Richard said, and Zedd reached forward to grasp something on Flynn's chest that he couldn't see. Then it appeared, a little medallion dangling from Zedd's hand. "Then that--" He stopped, looking up at where the flaming thing had appeared.

"This is what Ferimond's Bane actually looks like," Zedd said. "Flaming weasels, indeed." Richard looked baffled, but Zedd didn't bother to explain. "I should have known the ceremony would be that simple--any wizard worth his salt would make sure a ritual that would have to last for centuries would be easy to do."

"Much to Daffyd's dismay," Adeline said, grinning. "I actually thought if it didn't work, we could just send him out among the D'Harans and let him destroy them when his head exploded."

They laughed, and then from the stairs someone cried, "Hail to King Flynn, wielder of Ferimond's Bane!" There was a muddled cry of, "Hail King Flynn!"

Then Gwendolyn yelled, "And hail to Queen Adeline, slayer of gars!" There was a murmur of amazement, and one of the guards ran to the stairs and held up the severed head of the gar, while another pointed to the one lying dead in the courtyard. A cheer rose. "Hail Queen Adeline!"

Flynn looked back and forth from the gar's head to his wife in awe, then he grabbed her and held her tight.

"Flynn, I can't breathe--" Adeline gasped.

He loosened his grip but didn't let go. "You fought a gar," he whispered, his face buried in her hair. "You could have died."

"I'm fine, Flynn," Adeline said, but she was clearly enjoying his attention. "It was only a little--"

He stopped her by kissing her deeply. Another cheer rose from the crowd, and Richard and Kahlan joined in. Flynn finally came up for air, Adeline looked up at him, dazed.

"What did I tell you?" Richard said to Adeline, grinning. She blinked for a moment, then smiled radiantly back at him, her arms around her husband.

Zedd cleared his throat. "Now," he said, "if I may make a suggestion, your highnessy majesties?"

"Of course," Flynn said, blushing as he realized how large the audience for their kiss had been.

"Write all this down someplace where it won't be lost or destroyed or misconstrued, so the next time something like this happens, the survival of the kingdom doesn't depend on having the Seeker, the Mother Confessor, a warrior queen and a brilliant Wizard of the First Order on hand. None of us are as common as you might think."

_FIN_


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